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Eating more nuts isn’t linked to weight gain, study says

Study this: Soda and diabetes risk, nuts and weight and the potential risks of Roundup

People can safely add a few nuts to their diet without gaining weight. (Dreamstime photo illustration)

By Reuters

Tues., April 30, 2013

Drinking just one can of sugar-laced soda drink a day increases the risk of developing diabetes by more than a fifth, according to a large European study published on Wednesday.

Using data from 350,000 people in eight European countries, researchers found that every extra 340 mL serving of sugar-sweetened drink raises the risk of diabetes by 22 per cent compared with drinking just one can a month or less.

“Given the increase in sweet beverage consumption in Europe, clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population,” said Dora Romaguera, who led with study with a team at Imperial College London.

A 340 mL serving is about equivalent to a normal-sized can of Coca-Cola, Pepsi or other soft drink.

Patrick Wolfe, a statistics expert from University College London who was not involved in the research, said the message from its results was clear.

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“The bottom line is that sugary soft drinks are not good for you — they have no nutritional value and there is evidence that drinking them every day can increase your relative risk for type 2 diabetes,” he said in an emailed comment.

Adding nuts without gaining weight

People can safely add a few nuts to their diet — or replace other foods with the high-unsaturated fat, high-fibre snacks — without gaining weight, a new review of past studies suggests.

Researchers combined data from 31 trials conducted across the globe and found that on average, there was very little difference in changes in weight or waist measurements between people who were put on a normal or nut-supplemented diet.

“Most of the nut-enriched studies don’t show that patients gain a significant amount of weight, in contrast to what one might think,” said Dr. David Bleich, head of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.

Previous research has tied nut-containing diets to a lower risk of death, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Heavy use of herbicide Roundup linked to health dangers: study

Heavy use of the world’s most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.

The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of “glyphosate,” the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.

Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report, authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant from Arthur D. Little, Inc. Samsel is a former private environmental government contractor as well as

Monsanto and other leading industry experts have said for years that glyphosate is proven safe, and has a less damaging impact on the environment than other commonly used chemicals.

Jerry Steiner, Monsanto’s executive vice president of sustainability, reiterated that in a recent interview when questioned about the study.

“We are very confident in the long track record that glyphosate has. It has been very, very extensively studied,” he said.

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